Padfoot and Prongs
by Madame Phoenix
Summary: Alternate Universe. Sirius retrieves Harry from Privet Drive and raises him himself. Couples Undecided.
1. Duel in Privet Drive

**Disclaimer: **I'm posting this on a fanfiction site. I think it's obvious that I don't own Harry Potter.

**Summary:** Alternate Universe. On the same night that Dumbledore leaves Harry on the Dursley's doorstep, Sirius retrieves him and instead raises him himself.

**Padfoot and Prongs**

**_Chapter 1: Duel in Privet Drive_**

The night surrounding Privet Drive was still for a moment, until with a loud, resounding crack that shattered the peaceful silence three figures appeared

The night surrounding Privet Drive was still for a moment, until with a loud, resounding crack that shattered the peaceful silence three figures appeared. Two of the newcomers, a male and a female, were garbed in long black robes and had their faces covered by a mask fashioned to look like a skull, whilst the third was a young man clad in a slightly dirty muggle suit, the jacket of which was open revealing an untucked shirt. The two death-eaters seemingly had not noticed the other man's presence as they moved towards number 4, however he obviously noticed them, for within moments his wand was in his hands and sent a silent stunner at the male death eater. His companion whirled around, tearing her mask and hood off as she glared viciously at the other man.

"You!" hissed Bellatrix Lestrange, rapidly drawing her wand and pointing it at her least favourite relative, "What are you doing here?" She stepped over her unconscious husband, ignoring his condition as she advanced on Sirius.

"I could ask you the same thing," commented Sirius. Despite his calm façade his eyes were slightly red, he'd obviously been crying very recently. "So it's a good thing decided to check on Harry myself rather then rely on Dumbledore." Inwardly, he was amazed as the Headmaster's stupidity at leaving Harry unattended in the middle of the night, when every former follower of Voldemort would be after the boy-who-lived.

"The boy," snarled Bellatrix, "I'm going to destroy him and avenge the Dark Lord…" her voice faltered slightly, out of shock that her master had been destroyed by a child, "He must have incredible power…"

"If you thinking I'm going to let you kill my godson to avenge Voldemort you can forget it," the resolve in his voice was clear, "I won't let you even touch him!"

"I was hoping you'd say that!" She lunged forward, sending a bolt of emerald light at her cousin as she screeched, "Avada Kedavra!" Sirius dodged to one side, narrowly avoiding the killing curse as he rolled to one side and aimed at Bellatrix. Ropes sprung from the tip of his wand, which curled towards the deranged woman like snakes, however she swung he wand around in a swift arc, a trail of fire emerging from it to burn away Sirius's spell. She viciously sent another killing curse at him; however, he quickly twisted around on his ankle and vanished. With a loud crack, he reappeared behind his cousin and quickly pointed his wand.

"Reducto!" A burst of translucent energy forced its way out of his wand, hurtling towards Bellatrix with frightening speed, however with a casual flick she raised a protego shield and dissipated the spell moments before it reached her.

"You haven't lost your touch," muttered the death eater grimly, "Killing you will be more fun then…" whatever killing Sirius was more fun then he never found out, for before her sentence was over he had transformed into a large back dog and pounced at Bellatrix, slashing out at her throat with one clawed paw. She gasped, rolling over and desperately pushing Sirius off her. "Well, aren't you full of surprises?" She scrambled away from Sirius and got to her feet as she raised her wand, only to be stopped in her tracks in surprise at her cousin's actions.

"That's enough Bella," Sirius had propped up the unconscious form of her husband Rodolphus like a shield and had his wand pressed against his throat.

"You think I actually care about that worm?" asked Bellatrix scathingly, "my marriage to him was purely because there are so few powerful pureblood families left. Avada Kedavra!" Another jet of emerald light shot out of her wand, this time hitting her husband's chest. Sirius quickly dropped the body as he felt the man die, rapidly clambering to his feet and facing Bellatrix.

"You're even less sane then I thought," commented Sirius, circling around his opponent and barely concealing his shock at his cousin's actions. He eventually stopped, making sure that he was directly positioned between her and his godson.

"Accio Harry!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

The boy-who-lived woke with a start and began to cry in shock as he found himself soaring through the air towards his godfather. Sirius caught the child roughly, twisting around on the spot and dissaparating less then a second before the killing curse hit him. Instead, the beam of emerald light hit the front door of Number Four Privet Drive, igniting it in a flurry of flames.

"This isn't over cousin…" Howling in annoyance, Bella dissaparated herself, leaving moments before the three Dursley's emerged from their flaming house in a fevered panic.

**O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"We appear to have a crisis Minerva," stated Dumbledore, obviously in shock as he paced back and forth in his office, "A report just came in that early this morning number Four Privet Drive was badly damaged in a fire. Although there were apparently no casualties from the fire, a body was discovered outside that the Ministry intercepted and identified as Rodolphus Lestrange, and even more worryingly, there was no trace of young Harry to be found." He noticed his colleague's face visibly pale.

"Bellatrix?" she stammered, collapsing into a nearby chair.

"It seems highly likely," confirmed Dumbledore, returning to his seat behind the desk and placing his fingertips together, "the only problem is Rodolphus. From what I've gathered he was apparently killed by the killing curse, which would seem to indicate that someone else interrupted the Lestranges. The outcome of the encounter is uncertain, but it seems certain that either one or both of the pair took Harry with them."

"So it's possible he's not in the hands of death eaters?" asked McGonagall, a hint of relief seeping into her voice.

"There's certainly a chance," confirmed Dumbledore, "I'll call an order meeting at once too…" At that moment the fire at one side of the room flared green as the head of Sirius black appeared in it. Dumbledore slowly got to his feet in surprise, picking up his wand just in case.

"Dumbledore I need a word," began Sirius, "I know you think I betrayed the Potter's but you have to know I would never do that. I need to talk to you urgently."

"I suppose that if you'll allow the use of Veritaserum then you can enter." Sirius nodded. "Very well, Minerva, please fetch Severus for me and ask him to bring a bottle of Veritaserum." McGonagall nodded grimly and left the room, returning around 10 minutes later followed by Professor Snape. Dumbledore pointed his wand at the fireplace as Sirius emerged, cradling his godson in his arms. McGonagall gasped, taking the child from him as Severus stepped forward and administered the truth potion to his old enemy. Sirius's eyes glazed over slightly, showing that the potion had taken effect, as he sat in front of Dumbledore, arms at his side.

"Now then, are you a follower of Voldemort?" asked Dumbledore, resting his hands on the table and regarding Sirius over the top of his glasses.

"No."

"Were you the secret keeper for Lily and James Potter?"

"No."

"Then who betrayed them to Voldemort?"

"They used Peter Pettigrew as the secret keeper, so it must have been him." The group visibly relaxed slightly, knowing that Sirius was innocent.

"How did you get hold of Harry?" asked Minerva, who was still cradling the boy-who-lived in her arms.

"Hagrid told me that he was taking Harry to the Dursleys. I'd once been there briefly before the war with Lily and James, so I was able to apparate there once I'd gotten over the initial grief," explained Sirius. Dumbledore nodded slightly, indicating that he should continue. "I was too late to meet you there, however when I arrived I spotted two death eaters who turned out to be my cousin and her husband. After a brief fight during which Rodolphus was killed, I retrieved Harry and managed to apparate to safety before Bellatrix killed the pair of us." He placed his fingertips together in an impressive imitation of Dumbledore, "On the subject of Harry, I want to know why you were going directly against Lily and James's wishes and leaving him with the Dursleys."

"Against their wishes!?" repeated McGonagall with a hint of outrage. Dumbledore sighed and seemed to visibly age several years beneath the various stares from the rooms occupants.

"It was for the greater good," explained the headmaster, "As his relatives live there he will be protected by powerful blood wards that will fend off evil so long as he has a home there."

"Has a home there!?" exclaimed Sirius, slamming his fists onto the desk in front of Dumbledore, "you left him on the doorstep of people who hate the magic world and everything to do with it. That place would never be his home, and what happened with Bellatrix proved that he had no protection there!" Dumbledore sighed once more.

"That would certainly seem to be the case." The headmaster rested his head in his hands, deep in thought. However he was never able to reach a conclusion, for Sirius had gotten to his feet again and taken Harry from McGonagall.

"I know exactly what the Potters wanted for Harry if they were killed," he stated heading back towards the fireplace, "I'll raise Harry myself."

"He is not going to turn into James," stated Dumbledore, realising that he wouldn't be able to change Sirius's mind, "don't forget that."

**O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

A few days later, the details had been confirmed with Lily and James's wills and Sirius was named the official guardian of the boy-who-lived. Unwilling to take the boy to Grimmauld Place, the pair moved into the Potter's ancestral manor, which had been left to Harry in his parents' will. For most of their married life James and Lily had inhabited the smaller residence at Godric's Hollow, leaving the Manor almost empty and immediately ready to move in to. The time seemed to pass quickly, with Sirius showing Harry just as much affection as his father would have, however making sure that Harry new just how much his actual parents had cared for him.

The only thing that Sirius concealed from him was his fame. He had attempted to keep the boy away from large crowds, not wanting his godson to have to face his fame until he was ready. As mistaken as Dumbledore had been in believing that Harry should be raised by the Dursleys, he did agree that Harry was better off being raised away from all of the attention. The years passed quickly, and before long it was Harry's tenth birthday and he and Sirius were both in Muggle London for the day to celebrate.

**So what do you think? Not really an original idea but I've never done something like this before. Please review, I like reviews.**


	2. Accidental Magic

**Padfoot and Prongs**

_**Chapter 2 – Accidental Magic**_

Sirius black was sat alone at the breakfast bar in the kitchen of Potter Manor, slowly picking at a plate of eggs and bacon as he waited for his godson to come down. Before long, the kitchen door was pushed open and the boy-who-lived entered the room.

"Happy Birthday pup!" Exclaimed Sirius enthusiastically, pushing a second plate of breakfast towards his godson as he sat down.

"Thanks Padfoot," replied Harry, quickly beginning to wolf down the breakfast, "are we still going in to London later?"

"As soon as you're done with that," confirmed Sirius. The rest of the meal passed in silence, mostly because Harry wasn't talking in an attempt to finish the eggs and bacon as soon as possible. As soon as he was done and had laid down the knife and fork, there was a slight pop and the Potter house elf, Mimi, appeared beside him. Mimi was female, with pinkish skin and hazel eyes. She was clad in a relatively long skirt and Victorian style blouse, both of which she had made herself long ago so that she had a proper clothes without being released.

"Joyous Birthday tidings to you Harry," she stated, having long ago been asked by the boy-who-lived to not call him 'master'. She clicked her fingers, and in another pop the remains of breakfast on the table vanished, only to be replaces almost instantly by three neatly wrapped presents. Two of them were the standard cuboid shape of most presents however the third was long and thin. Harry's eyes lit up excitedly as he realised what is was. He quickly tore off the wrapping paper on the long present, revealing a sleek broomstick with silver detailing on the handle proclaiming it to be a 'Silver Meteor'.

"It's the best broomstick available," explained Sirius, "much better then the new Nimbus 1900s, even if the Nimbus fan boys wont admit it." He chuckled, though his happiness wasn't entirely over the broom. Every time Harry it was Harry's birthday, he always ended up thinking about how lucky the boy-who-lived had been to not be left with the Dursleys, for Sirius doubted that they would even bother learning when his birthday was, never mind getting him a present.

"Can I try it out now?" Asked Harry, anticipation clearly showing on his face.

"Maybe later," replied Padfoot with a grin, "you'll have to learn how to fly first and in case that thing has clouded your mind, we're going out today." Harry grinned too, setting the broom aside as he opened the other two presents. The first one was also off Sirius, a broomstick servicing kit so that he could take good care of his Silver Meteor. The other was a selection of Harry's favourite cakes and biscuits baked by Mimi, who at Sirius's insistence had taken a seat at the table as well.

"Thanks a lot guys!" Harry sprung to his feet and hugged both Sirius and Mimi, then hurried off upstairs to prepare for their day out.

"You know what to do whilst we're out, right Mimi?" asked Padfoot once his godson had disappeared upstairs.

"Of course Master Padfoot," confirmed Mimi, nodding her head enthusiastically. She waved one hand, levitating the discarded wrapping paper and moving it through the air into the bin.

"Good," muttered Sirius, "Moony should arrive in the afternoon to help too, then everyone else soon after that."

**O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Sirius and Harry were both sat outside a café in the centre of London, drinking a coffee and a milkshake respectively. They were engaged in a conversation about Quidditch, for although they had been avoiding the wizarding world, Sirius had made up for it by making sure to purchase Pensive memories of any matches that caught their interest, so although they didn't watch them live the pair was still able to keep up with the sport. However their attention was diverted from the conversation by a commotion that was going on in an alleyway on the opposite side of the street. A young girl with bushy brown hair who seemed to be around the same age as harry was crouched in the centre of the alleyway crying, however the thing that made the situation so strange was the fact that several pebbles and items of litter were swirling around the crying girl as if caught in the wind. Fortunately, the street was fairly empty and they appeared to be the only ones who had noticed. Harry hurriedly crossed the street, Sirius not far behind, and crouched down to talk to the girl.

"Are you okay?" asked Harry, the concern obvious on his voice.

"I'm s…scared…" replied the girl, "I got separated from my parents… then this d…drunken man tried to attack me however all t…these rocks and things fought him off…" She stated into Harry's eyes, "What's going on?" Harry smiled slightly, extending a hand to help her to her feet that she gratefully took.

"Magic," he stated, grinning at her, "you're a witch."

"A witch?" she repeated incredulously, scarcely believing what was happening.

"A good thing too," added Sirius, "otherwise that drunk could have hurt you pretty badly." By now the girl had calmed down, causing the stones and litter to drop down to the ground again as the magic faded.

"I'm Harry Potter!" He stated, shaking the hand that he was still holding, "what's your name?"

"Hermione Granger," she replied, "its n…nice to meet you."

"So then," interjected Sirius, "where did you last see your parents?"

"Well, I was at that bookshop," she pointed to the shop which was on the street on the opposite side of the alleyway, "We were just leaving when I got distracted by a display near the exit. I hurried to catch up but a crowd of tourists passed by and I got jostled into this alley and when I look they'd gone and the drunk approached."

"They're probably back at the bookshop," mused Sirius, leading the children back down the alley. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her after him until they arrived back at the bookshop. Hermione was relieved to find her parents inside and ran up to them. After a brief explanation, she returned to Sirius and Harry with her parents.

"Thank you for bringing back our daughter," stated her father, shaking Sirius's hand, "we were so worried about her."

"Though, she said something about… magic…" added her mother nervously.

"This may be hard to believe," began Padfoot, choosing his words carefully, "but magic is real. And your daughter is a witch." To prove his point, he quickly checked that no-one else was paying attention and drew his wand, sending out a steam of sparks and conjuring a flower which he handed to Hermione's mother, who was looking very shocked.

"Can you do magic too Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Yep, though I'm too young to have a wand yet," explained Harry.

"How do you learn magic? What books should I read?" Hermione was growing more and more excited at the prospect of having such an amazing new subject to study, causing Harry to chuckle slightly at her enthusiasm.

"You'll probably start at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry along with Harry next year," stated Sirius, "although until then you can find most things that you need here in London. How would you like to go to Diagon Alley?"

**O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Before long, Sirius, Harry, Hermione and her parents, who had introduced themselves as Damien and Jane, had followed Sirius through the streets of London towards the Leaky Cauldron. Unfortunately, Sirius had gotten caught up in Harry's childish enthusiasm at meeting someone else with magic at last, causing him to forget one important problem that was facing them. In fact, it only occurred to him moments before he had planned to enter the pub, causing him to freeze for a moment.

"Sorry, we'll go inside in a moment," he explained hurriedly to the Grangers, "I need to talk to Harry for a moment first." He pulled his godson over to one side, trying feebly to make sure that no-one overheard. "Harry, you need to understand something I haven't told you yet. You know how it was your mother's sacrifice that defeated Voldemort?" Harry nodded grimly. "Well, the fact that you reflected the spell back is very well known in the wizarding world… in fact you're incredibly famous for it…" Harry gasped.

"Famous?" he repeated incredulously, "so the people in there will know who I am?"

"I'm afraid so," replied Sirius, concern clearly showing on his voice, "so if you'd prefer we can not go in there." Harry considered it for a moment.

"I want to go," he eventually decided, "If I really am famous I'm going to have to face it at some point or another. I'd rather get it out of the way now. Also," he blushed slightly, "I don't want to disappoint Hermione." Sirius chuckled at his godson's apparent crush. They returned to the Grangers and slowly entered the Leaky Cauldron. For a moment no-one reacted to their presence, causing Harry to hope that Sirius had been mistaken, however seconds later a red-headed boy who was accompanied by a large family of redheads, spotted his scar.

"You're Harry Potter!" He exclaimed, pointing at the lightning bolt scar rather rudely. Several of the bar's patrons looked like they were about to approach Harry themselves, however stopped when they saw the red-headed boy's red-headed mother join her son.

"It's rude to point Ron!" She stated, grabbing his arm and pulling the offending hand down so that it was no longer aimed at Harry. "I'm sorry about that," she added, turning to face Harry herself.

"Molly Weasley, right?" Asked Sirius, stepping forward to stand beside Harry.

"Ah hello Sirius," replied Molly, "I heard you'd become Harry's guardian." Harry and the Grangers, who eventually stopped skulking in the shadows, were soon introduced to the rest of the Weasley family who were present as well: Fred, George, Ginny, Percy and Arthur. Harry was inwardly grateful to the Weasleys, they seemed pleasant and he suspected that had they not spoken to them upon arrival then everyone in the bar would have introduced themselves. Eventually they managed to detach themselves from the Weasleys and enter Diagon Alley itself, where fortunately the people who passed by were too distracted by their shopping to notice that the boy-who-lived was in there midst. The group first made its way Gringotts, where Sirius withdrew money from his vault and the Grangers converted some of their Muggle money into Galleons for them to spend. After that Hermione practically dragged them into Flourish and Blots, the excitement at all of the magical books showing clearly in her eyes.

Eventually Hermione managed to talk her parents into buying her all of the first year Hogwarts book, along with the latest copy of Hogwarts a History. Harry got the first years books as well, having decided to study them in an attempt to be ahead of the workload that he would face when starting Hogwarts the next year. The duo both also bought an owl from Eeylops Owl Emporium so that they could write to each other. Hermione, along with her parents, was thrilled that she finally had a friend. After some discussion with her parents, they finally agreed to let her visit Harry at Potter Manor the next day so long as Sirius picked her up, fortunately she lived in the outskirts of London, and so it wasn't too far to travel. They finished off the visit with ice creams at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. They parted company with the Grangers outside the Leaky Cauldron and set off back through the streets until they found a safe spot to apparate back to Potter Manor.

**O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

With a crack, Harry and Sirius appeared within the foyer of Potter Manor, the only area of the house that it was possible to apparate into. Since dark wizards had already tried to take Harry's life several times, Padfoot had spent several weeks ensuring that the Manor was perfectly secure and impregnable from attack. There were special anti-apparition wards that ensured that only welcome guests could apparate to the Manor, for anyone else who tried would be bounced back to wherever they'd come from. There was a similar system for the Floo network. As well as that, the Manor was unplottable, with detection wards that would inform them if anyone with a dark mark came within a mile of the Manor.

Harry pushed open the living room door and entered the room, however before he had a chance to sit down he was shocked to see several figures cast off disillusion charms and yell:

"Surprise!"

**Insert witty way of asking for reviews here**


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